The story is back with Butch and Tucker still working at holding onto their stagecoach and now being hired by Colonel McBride to deliver supplies to the Fort that he used to be assigned to. Meanwhile, they must fight their way through because King wants to do away with all of them including the men in the Fort. A good story.

There is no such thing as a bad Johnstone western. Each series is built around main characters whose belief in the law and family is absolute, even if they've had to be reformed to get there. From Preacher, the original mountain man to the Jensen family to Perly Gates, to.....well, you get the point. Many times, characters from one series will show up in another as supporting hands. The communities are true to the era, clothing, guns, food and troubles are all what you'd find if you looked them up in the history books. No two stories are the same, each character or set of characters is unique and so are their stories. The writing is skillful, readers are pulled into the story and you will laugh and cry right along with the characters. I made the mistake of picking up a Johnstone western my uncle was reading. Ive been hooked ever since. Now I share them with my reading family and will continue as long as new Johnstones are released.

In William Johnston's Dry Road to Nowhere (Pinnacle 2024), Book 2 of the Frontier Overland Company, Former Texas Ranger Butch Keeler and his buddy Tucker Cobb start their own stagecoach line, eager to be their own boss without someone else making the decisions. Book 1 tells of a somewhat rocky but successful start. Book 2 picks up as they become blacklisted by King Charles Hagen, the power house rich guy in the area who won't take no for an answer when he tells them he is going to buy them out. When they refuse, Hagen decides it'll be just as easy to run them out of business. Butch and Tucker don't quit, doing everything possible to attract what business they can and survive until--hopefully--Hagen will give up. The stakes get deadly when the woman Cobb is in love with--a soiled dove--becomes part of Hagen's plan to drive the the feisty stagecoach owners off the map.

It's a good story, a bit predictable at times, a few spots where plot points seem forced rather than organic, but it is kept interesting by the uncommon nature of the two main characters. I would like more details about running a stage coach line in the late 1800s since this isn't a storyline covered in many other old west books. Overall, a good read and I had no problem finishing the book.

First, the title doesn't fit the book. The volume is so well done, it deserves a more related moniker.

This is the first Johnstone Clan series that is working as a serial. This is the 2nd entry and, as the book ends, there will be a 3rd. That's fine with me. This series is in my top 5 of the current Johnstone Clan books.

This one has the buddies in a few adventures and is written smoothly to the point, at the end, it's hard to imagine that the book had started with indians and defending a fort. The bulk of the book is a very well written story of two men immersed in the chaos brought by an unseen enemy and those that work for him. The bouncing back and forth to two cities and bad guys cleverly dropped in unexpected places makes a thrilling book.

This is certainly one of the best Johnstone Clan books of the past few years. Trouble being waiting for #3 int he series.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
This book made available via NetGalley.com.

Of all the Western stories that the Johnstone syndicate has done, the ones set in Wyoming and related to "King" Hagen are my least favorite. With that said, this one dealing with two ornery mule skinners turned stagecoach drivers is one of the better in this category. Butch Keeler and Tucker Cobb are a crew and are two men to ride the range with. They have been friends and partners for a while now and each of them is pretty tough.

This story seems to mostly focus on Hagen and his attempts to prevent them from operating the Frontier Overland Company. But there is a twist of a Madam Pinochet and her hired man who runs an opium den along with a beautiful lady who happens to be friend with Cobb. They are determined to help the "King" ruin the lives of the coach drivers.

A few other examples of running through rampaging Native Americans to get to a besieged fort enter into the story as well as struggling to survive and taking on almost any job to do so. This includes transporting some good, dark bock beer made by a German immigrant. So, there are twists and turns.

Culminating in a trial concerning a death which some think is a murder and others think is self-defense. Climax has some different endings than you might expect. Not a bad overall story but still not a huge fan of this book.